April Fools' affirms our sense of humanity and community. In overturning hierarchy and authority, April Fools' makes elders look childish and children seem cunning beyond their years; we are all equally foolish.
We have the opportunity and means to apply microtasking to enrich our lives, our cultures and build better societies. As it was in the case of Benjamin Franklin, success is ours: people just need the right leaders, tools and incentives to motivate them to act.
Jefferson, much the deist, held to the idea of a "designer" to explain the scientific origin of the universe. Enlightenment thinkers called this designer the "great clockmaker," but he was not the same God that interceded in the cosmos.
"We the People" create the institutions that serve us. It's easy to forget that we -- individual citizens -- are the ones responsible for our children's education.
Chess exists as the purest form of intellectual competition this side of a university debate. Head to any major urban park on a sunny afternoon and find the chess hustlers on the benches, decimating all challengers willing to slap down a five-dollar bill.
Benjamin Franklin wasn't above a little "slick PR" but he believed that the appearance of integrity would inevitably be undone without the reality in support of it.
Ben Franklin famously said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." A strong US research program in climate science -- and leaders who take climate change as seriously as Benjamin Franklin did -- is consistent with that advice.
What do Benjamin Franklin and AMC President and CEO Josh Sapan have in common? The two men share an affinity for lightning rods, the former being the ...
Contrary to the popular myths, the wild turkey can fly. As the recent election has proven, so can we, if, like that original American bird, we keep close to the ground.
Reinhold Hoffmann, a retiree who told the German newspaper Bild that he found a U.S. stamp worth $3 million, may now have a reason to go postal: The P...
Benjamin Franklin broke the silence. At 81, he was the oldest of the delegates and was quite frail. He rose slowly, with a cane planted in the ground by one hand and a lengthy speech held in the other.
One interesting story about Franklin pertains to his preference for a national symbol. Despite his efforts, the nation chartered under the new constitution chose the bald eagle as its symbol on coins and dollars. Franklin was dismayed; he had lobbied hard for his choice -- the turkey.
Although Franklin was born January 17, 1706 in Boston, at age 17 he moved to Philadelphia. And though he lived temporarily in other places including overseas, he will always be considered as one of our greatest Pennsylvanians.
James Madison marveled over what unfolded at Philadelphia all those years ago. If not a miracle, then it was a consummation devoutly to be wished. To paraphrase Franklin: We will do well if we keep faith with it.
One of the enduring American myths we cherish is the two-party system. We must have two parties! To have three parties or more is impossible; to have only one, unthinkable.
I wonder if young people understand how to deal with adversity. If young people have been sheltered from overcoming failure, they may not understand that adversity ultimately leads to opportunity.
Death is recession proof, or as Benjamin Franklin once said, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." But in the tight economy, even funeral parlors are going to some great lengths to keep business alive.
So as we celebrate another day off and think of fireworks, hot dogs, and all the rest, let's give some thought to how and why this country was founded. And consider how far we have to go in meeting challenges that would daunt even the best of the Founders.
The two big cable "news" outlets were so intent on being fast that they were totally wrong. The reporters, producers, on-air "talent," nobody could be bothered to actually read through the decision before broadcasting their stupidity to the world.
There is no shortage of political divides in this era of angry politics. But one of the most fundamental of all is between those who favor the Enlightenment and those who oppose it.